blar•ney
noun ˈblär-nē
Definition of BLARNEY: 1. skillful flattery : blandishment 2.: nonsense, humbug
Examples of BLARNEY
She was charmed by his blarney.
A tale with more than a hint of blarney

Origin of BLARNEY
Blarney stone, a stone in Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, held to bestow skill in flattery on those who kiss it.

Boxes are to be mailed out no later than March 12th.

Boxes should be mailed Priority Mail with a Delivery Confirmation. Confirmation # is to be dmailed to hostess, Crit, as a reply to your buddy assignment dmail.

Participants are to make a list of some of their favorite things they would like to receive for this Blarney swap, and also anything they prefer not to receive. (example: I am allergic to oranges, I don't burn candles, my favorite scent is gardenia, etc.) If you think of anything else you would like to add after posting, please go back to the original post and edit so it is all in one post. The sending buddy can then use the list to help in putting together their buddy’s box. Many of our swappers have their lists posted on link ‘A Few of My Favorite Things’,

You can also make a post of your own! Senders are not required to include every item on someone’s list, or include only things on the list. This is just a guide. Items you can include in your boxes are something to do with the definition of ‘blarney’ above or along those lines. You can send St. Patrick’s Day items or green items. Green flowers or flowering bulbs, paint your own ‘blarney stone’, etc. Use your imagination. Make it fun!!!!

This is a 'secret swap'. Buddies names will be revealed by your buddy when they receive your box.

Please be sure your DG memberships are paid up through March 23, 2012 to participate in this swap.

Limit for the swap will be $20, not including the cost of Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation.

New threads will be started as needed, so please check in once in a while to be sure we have not moved to a new thread without you. Threads will always start out the same as this one. If you lose us, you can always go to the Groups, Swaps and Round Robins forum to find us.

****PARTICIPANTS****

Albeachrealtor/Emily - Received from FruitOfTheVine/Susan
careyana/Carey
Crit/Patti
deejay9/Susie - Received from lizrainey/Liz
FruitOfTheVIne/Susan - Received from careyana/Carey
lizrainey/Liz - Received from deejay9/Susie
Mud_Elf/Kris - Received from Oberon46/Mary
Oberon46/Mary - Received from Albeachrealtor/Emily

With all the terrible storms flying around the country the last couple of days, I hope everyone checks in to let us know they are OK. If we don't hear from you we will be worried. I saw on the news a church roof in Anchorage collapsed from the snow with people inside!!!!

Now that I have my name, I can start 'personalizing' my box! Yippeeeeeeee

I'm glad you're alright, Mary. We had a few "stray flakes" this morning, nothing really to mention since we had no accumulation, but they were big, pretty heavy flakes.

My Buddy's going to receive two packages directly from Amazon. One should be ahead of the deadline and arrive Wednesday, but the other one 'they say' may take up to 10 days. I haven't ordered from Amazon often, and am sure there was a "gift" box but I missed it before checking out. One of you lucky Leprechauns watch for a USP truck...twice.

Mine Flew out yesterday Mary check your DG dmail box under
"Best of the Blarney" St. Patricks Day Swap Crit
see if it got over looked. I'm sure your partner will understand & LATE IS BETTER Then NOTHING :) HEHE
Just Put an extra Pot of GOLD In it :)

2 tubers for gorgeous Dinnerplate Dahlias
5 Narcissus ‘Pink Wonder’ bulbs
A Fiskars kneeling pad, trust me it’ll straighten out when I kneel on it...lol
A cool book of assorted sizes and designs of sticky notes called the Sticky Note Compendium, they are almost too pretty to use

susie!!!! oh my goodness look what i got from deejay
the rock is so cool omg i have something you made i love it !
oh where to begin lol im too excited, theres this awsome pillow case did you make that to? wonderful print, a cinnamon fern, califlower seeds, shamrock seeds, a nice plant ,socks, a 2 year planner and look at this mug so cool susie you out did yourself thank you thank you!

YEP IT CAN BE DONE IT WT 10.4OZ WOULD HAVE BEEN $30. TO MAIL IN REG BOX .

ty liz glad you like it the rock out of my garden o biggie but found i love painting my rocks:)
as for the throw pillow case i had the throw pillow also but could not fold it to fit sorry had to make a few choices
also i found the material i wanted & Had my SIL Make it for me i don't have time to sew :)

but all the rest is made with GOD & my hands :) well off to get daddy up happy it arrived safely hope there wasn't to much dirt in the box .

Carey ... I "grow" rocks here. Would be glad to send you a boxful!!!!! ^_^

Beautiful boxes girls! I love when it comes to reveal time. I think I enjoy it even more than gathering things for my buddy! I am about finished with one item then will probably mail on Monday.

Mary, you would be surprised what you can cram into a med flat rate box! LOL The more swaps you are in, the more you will figure out how to pack a box! My first few trades I felt like I had let my buddy down, BUT ... there is a $20 limit set, although some of us do get carried away!, and it is all for fun! As you get to know all of us, you will get a handle on what people get excited over. Plus, that is what the like/dislike lists are for. I'm sure your buddy will be excited with whatever you sent. After all, every box is sent with LOVE.

Here is my package. My daughter already covets the water bottle! And I am so pleased to have a new meconopsis seed to try out. They are tough to grow but I have managed to get one to maturity. And I do so love bellflowers so those seeds are always very welcome. And for sure, who can't use an extra dollar to two. lol Not too sure about the business card though as it is not too likely I will ever move to Florida -- much too hot and tooooo many bugs. lol

I was lucky enough to have most of the items already in my collection - or picked up at a deep discount! We have places like Half-Price Books, Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx, Ross, Big Lots...as well as a good number of excellent nurseries. Fruity was my intro to swaps and really taught me how to pack a box. I [heart] swaps on DG. :)

Great Mary. Water bottles always come in handy, and I know you were wanting to try new flowers in your area! Enjoy!

I'm glad you have enjoyed this swap. Be sure to check out the link of all the group swaps lined up. I don't believe I host another one until our Painted Rock Swap in October. But there are lots of great swaps others have listed.

My buddy was Susan (Fruitofthevine). She was very generous and provided me with two great books about canning and preserving. I just hope that my garden produces a bumper crop this year and I have a ton to put up. My All American Pressure Canner arrived the other day and I am excited to use it! Thanks and I can't wait til the next one!

My folks were also into canning. They canned tons of stuff from their gardens, and even canned salmon that Dad caught. Between his fishing and garden, there was little in the was of food they had to buy. And they had fresh vegies all summer long. They even went to farms where you can pay a small fee to pick you own strawberries and my Mom made wonderful strrawberry jam. We just have to move to I can have a bigger garden, both vegies and flowers, and more bushes, and more trees, and and lol

There's another envy on its way to you, Emily. I'm sorry your goodies are trickling in one at the time. At least neither of the books were on backorder :) After reading your wants / dislikes I really sorta drew a blank and hit Amazon.

Carey, you know men are hunters while women are gatherers...lol Tuesday Morning is one of my fav places to shop, just don't get there often since our closest one is an hour away. Now when I was working 'in town' that was a whole other story.

My Dad grew a garden, somewhere around 4 acres, and he sold a lot of his produce from orders folks gave him the previous year. Did that for years and can remember pouring over seed catalogs while sitting at the kitchen table with my parents wondering which seeds they'd order. I helped plant and weed, and my Mom and I canned veggies that weren't up to his standards to sell. Really great days growing up when things were still done the ol' fashioned way.

lol! I introduced my mom to Tuesday Morning when she and my aunt visited last year. She loved pretty much the whole store. There is one about 35 minutes from their house that was chock full of things she wanted. She probably wouldn't go there again without a friend since it is rather far away.

My dad loves to garden. We always had fresh fruit and veggies growing up, although he's really expanded in the past few years. The garden is 3 times the size it used to be and he even has a few fruit trees. My sister has about 15 blueberry bushes in her backyard and she sells most of her leftovers. It's no wonder my taste buds have no enemies. :)

Prayers being sent for Susie and you and Daddy also. I know this has to be stressful for all of you. Maybe knowing her box is waiting for her will make her feel better. ^_^ Hope it is nothing too serious!

Wonderful books! When my family was growing up I had a huge garden and did a ton of canning. I have decided to put in a veggie garden this year, and DH and I have picked out the perfect spot. Just need to fence it in and get it tilled. It will be in the corner of the pasture right next to the house. I know you will LOVE THEM Emily.

Hey everyone,, Just talked to Susie's brother Jim and he says she is going to be ok, just a really nasty bug got her down also she will be having a stress test tomorrow then will be coming home. He says she will probably be back online in a couple of days. He also says he feels real good and the stint has really helped him!! Sounded very upbeat. Will be calling him tomorrow to check on her again...

Oberon, do you know that michaels and joann fabrics accept each others coupons. They also accept coupons on your smart phone. I went into joanns the other day and was armed with 2 michaels 40% off coupons, one michaels 50% off coupon, a 25% off frames coupon and then the joann coupons on paper and my phone. I saved an additional 25-50% on every item i purchased.

Got my box today.. I am at a loss for words with all the careful thought and planning for gifts I received. Mary sent me everything I love and to top it off she did not know I absolutely adore poppies!!!!!!!!

I just talked to Susie, and she got home about 20 minutes ago. She is tired, and sore from all the blood thinner injections, but she is home and resting. She said she will try to get online tomorrow.
She asked me to post here, and say she got her box, and loves all the items she got. She will post tomorrow.

Well Mary seems to me I was really blessed by the Blarney in this swap and got the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!! Just to say,, I really love the things you sent and am going to be working with the seeds today.

The tiny Eskimo gloves will be going into a shadow box with a picture of my son when he was born to remind me of my poor frozen belly button,,,lol

For The KITCHEN
Beuatiful Towels Witch I Always can Use I Never have enough.
& Another cup for my collection & Now I Have Beautiful cup Fille with
MINT Candy Kisses MMMM The Problem in I Have to have 4-5 at a Time they melt to fast .
Bad Susie .

For my Windows
a Light up Clover witch i have it up in the window now
& I will put up the Gel Stickers when Zoey comes she loves to help me Decorate .

I Got a pair of Lucky socks a BOTTLE CAP stick pin & a LUCK Little light up IRISHMAN .
My FAV Is The HAND Made QUILTED WALL HANGING

& Here is DADDY With His NOW EMPTY Cup It Was Filled With Candy When I Gave it to Him Sat afternoon Before I Left for the Hospital
So I Guess you Know he enjoyed the candy :)
Liz Thank you for a great box & For including a cup for daddy he loves all my friends :)

well i have to call my doctor Office to set up my check up for weds & will try to get back later today

I love the frog in the window and the little critter under the flower pot. "I love my little froggies, love them very much; I would really like to pet them, but their real yukky to touch!" lol. Not really. I gently move my little frog in his tank to get him to his feeding place. He lets me gently put my hand under him and slowly move him.

well just came in to get daddys lunch i was able to lay dow for 1hr :) saw jim out in the garden with clippers in hand so had to go see what he had in mind good thing went out sure donn't need lost plants :) i know he is ready to jump in them but i still have to teach what is a plant & what is a weed ;)

Liz :after receiving such nice boxes from you in the pass i wanted to make you a special box I didn't know you had gotten me again, & You still out did yourself again thank you just don't think i can top it till it comes to sharing PLANTS .Hope you will joi us then also
susie

Such GREAT goodies everyone is receiving! I love the hand made stuff and you can sure tell everyone pretty well knows their buddies to a T. ^_^ My buddies box should be delivered tomorrow. I'm on pins and needles. Waited a little late to put finishing touches on one of the goodies and had to wait until I was pretty sure it was dry. Hope it makes it OK.

I am behind on marking who has received at the top of the thread but have it on my master list and will get it done. It's hard for me to set on the computer when it is suppose to be 82* today! I brought the horses over to 'mow' my back yard. lol I'm still planting seeds and it is too windy to take them outside to do them. Forcast the next 7 days is 76* to 82* ... in MARCH!!!! I hope we don't have another summer like last year!

Do any of you remember sherman99/Karen? She use to be on a lot of swaps. I had dmailed her because I had seeds I needed to send. Her cousin, Kaycee, wrote me back and said Karen is terminally ill. She has moved in with Karen to help take care of her. She said to go ahead and send the seeds as Karen will show her where to plant things. If any of you know her, might drop a packet or 2 of pretty seeds in the mail to her. I have her address. Dmail me.

Well, off to trim my Crepe Myrtle. Didn't get it done last year and they just were not as pretty.

I Forgot to MENTION The Box Of Irish SHORTBREAD COOKIES That I Also Receive Maybe because I Was imbarrass to admit I Ate 1/2 the Box Last night while watching the Storms Roll through :)
Will admit That they were very tasty Infact waiting for my Coffee to perk so I Can now have my Dessert :)
thank you LIZ for all the Yummies

If anyone would like to send seeds to Karen so she can have a beautiful garden, this is what she has on her A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS list. I've sent some and am sending more. I want to make her time here with us filled with flowers!

The cousin, Kaycee, plants flowers for her and she enjoys setting outside, when the weather permits, and tells Kaycee where to plant things. :-)

If you come across some really bright and possibly fragrent flowers, I know she would love to get them! She has been restoring a butterfly habitat and loves fragrent flowers.

This is part of a ''wish list'' she had made when she was doing trades with us. I have some sunflowers I can send her. I've already sent some Mile a Minute vine, salvia, Joe Pye Weed, some of my zinnia's and sedum. You can check out her list if you want to.

I am in zone 9 with mostly sun.
sunflowers
sweetpeas
salvias
native plants
any flower seeds i can grow here
any vines i can grow here
i guess basically i like the simple easy to grow flowers, the ones that smell good

I don't remember her last name. I just sent it this way. I don't think the P.O. pays much attention to the names anyway.

Karen/Sherman99
25775 Waldon Rd
Menifee, CA 92584

I would just lke to do something for her to enjoy while she is still here. The cousin didn't tell me how long she had, but said Karen loved to set outside and tell Kaycee where to plant stuff. lol ^_^

No Elfie...you could never be a bad Elf! You have good intentions! I pick up boxes at my local P.O. and usually save boxes I receive, so I always have a 'stash' of diffferent size boxes. They don't have the shoe box size though, I need to order some of those. Maybe you could do something extra for your swap buddy! LOL No, no, no ...I'm just kidding!!!!!!!!!! You know the saying, better late than never. You are a good Elf and I will slap your hands if they type you are a bad Elf again. ^_^

the only blue I see is our userid's, and the words 'post' and 'quote'. I would assume that the program is set up to make those blue so they stand out. I assume the word 'edit' would also be blue. If there are anyothers I have never seen them.

I wanted to pop in and say I received my box today! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU PATTI!!! I love the whole box! (although the PO chipped the mug. Boo! Nothing a little superglue won't fix tho!) And how did you know I love themed socks?????? :D The seeds and the ferns are fantastic (I actually almost bought similar ferns last week!), I love the dragonfly, the silly glasses, the Irish buttons and beads not to mention the calculator, the hot cocoa, chocolate, gum, plant food spikes, the gloves...DH was impressed by how much you fit in the box! lol The green tea will come in handy while I'm fighting a cold this week, and I can drink it out of my new drinkie cup. The turtle is adorable - is he a pot hanger buddy? And my Blarney stone. I absolutely positively LOVE the stone! That alone (well, the socks too!) would have made my day!

I'm having problems with the camera card so I'll try to post pictures later. Rest assured that Patti did an incredible job and I love it all. :)

OH, and the blue words I was talking about isn't links, but I've discovered it takes me to a 'surf canyon' with links to those items. It has turned words like shoe and camera blue. Just random words in a post. Must just be my computer.

Well, the Blarney Stone is PERFECT!!! It is actually out front already welcoming the Luck 'o the Irish!

- The blue words are probably some adware that is installed with your internet browser (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.) Adware is a mild form of a computer virus - it captures your internet habits and targets ads that favor your interests. You can try the free version of MalwareBytes and run it to see if it comes up with anything. :)

I received my "McGyver" box from Elfie ... and boy what a box it is!!!!!! I will try to gets descriptions and pics on today. Have to leave for now, having the 2 DGD's for a few days. THANK YOU ELFIE!!!!! You are such a goooooooood Elf!!!!!!!!

The back row is a pretty Happy St. Patricks Day rock with sequins on the shamrock. Next is a planter of 2 leprechans holding a pot of gold! (I could sure use that filled up! lol) A packet of Green Zinnia seeds. I am anxious to see this one in bloom. I love zinnia's! The card with butterflies on the front.
Next is a miniature planter (I'm sure you made this one!), green snowballs (I LOVE snowballs!), a little face in the leaves, Irish pins, 2 pearls in acorn caps (not sure what these are, enlighten me please), a leprechan statue holding gold. There is also a miniature fence, 2 mini gazing balls (am I right?), a miniature tree/bush and 3 of her famous mushroom caps that I KNOW she made!!!!

Thank you so much Elfie. It is ALL GREAT!!!!!!

Well, this brings us to the end of the "Best of the Blarney" swap. It has been fun and I thank you all for participating! You make it real easy to have a swap go off without a hitch! I love you all.

Yes it is a miniature planter and mini gazing ball with stands. I did not make your mushroom caps,, Goober did!!!!! I wanted to let you know you can just use a wooden dowel for your mushroom stems or better yet find some tree branches that look the right size and use them!! You can replace the wooden dowels or branches each year!!.Pearls in the acorn caps are to be used as door lamps for a fairy house!!

I am so glad you like everything!!

Thanks for being such a great hostess and I look forward to the next swap you host!!

Me too! I learned a lot and am looking forward to the next one. I am in on the April-Sept plant swap. Hopefully, while I will be a late month entrant due to weather, I will have lots of plants to trade.

OH... before I close, I have to show you all pics of my Cow/Burro girls. LOL They are 5 & 7 and are spending spring break with me. They just love little Jake and have to ride him everytime they are here. It has rained all week but we finally got a little break last night and could take them.

I have gotten 5" at my house. We REALLY needed the rain, and the runoff will be wonderful for the lakes and ponds. My yard is saturated ... has puddles standing in it. Can't complain about the rain but it sure makes gardening hard! The night before it started to rain, DH had brought up 2 lawnmower trailer loads of dry horse manue and spread it on the bed that I had just finished weeding. Now THAT was a big job in itself, and the first one I have done. It was getting dark and I hadn't fixed supper so was going to spread and even out the next morning. Guess what, it isn't dry anymore! lol When the sun finally comes out again I am going to have to work on it!